Eternal Rangers, Protectors of the Future!
by AngelPee
Summary: It's the year 2056 in the futuristic city of Angel Grove, California, and things have been quiet for a few years. Yet, when danger strikes to break the silence, the Yellow Ranger is the only hero in sight! Karin's just trying to survive College, but now she's finding herself in the middle of a Mighty Morphin' mess! (On hold until I get more feedback. Please contact me!)
1. Episode 1: The Dream of Champions

The story I'm about to tell you is entirely composed of true events.

No matter what we lead ourselves to believe is real, something will always come along to prove us wrong. To defile and stomp all over our once-solid beliefs.

In truth, I never expected things to go this far. Where I'd be forced to recollect every memory that I had saved up throughout this experience.

This story began on that fateful day...

Episode 1

The Dream of Champions

In 2048, humanoid AI robots were released in their "perfected" state to the general public. A lot of people were skeptical at first, saying that "it's only a matter of time until they overthrow humanity". There was a time when these robots were protested, frowned upon, and ultimately feared. No one wanted to be associated with these beings, and many people even went into hiding. Things seemed to be going downhill at an alarming rate.

It took time, but after seven years, these AIs began to integrate themselves into society. Like a warrior standing calmly before a roaring lion, they soon earned their place. Anyone with enough money to purchase and maintain one made sure to display it accordingly. As the years passed, many different models were released. Technology had a bloom of success; each new model that was released looked more human than the last one. Soon, it was hard to tell them apart from normal people.

These events were very significant to me as I was growing up. The era was that of much change, and it shaped a new generation of children that had never been seen before. It gave me a sense of individuality and the desire to become inspirational like no one else had. Of course, I had to somehow survive college first.

Here's me. A second-year college student living on a minimal budget in the big city of Angel Grove, California. The year is now 2056, and a horizon of tall, oddly-shaped buildings fills the sky as I'm walking home. Why walking, you ask? Taking the ultra-speed monorail gets way too boring after awhile. Some people may find this task exerting, but I find it relaxing. Sometimes, I pass something that I've never seen before and I make a new discovery. Actually, anything that can distract me from thinking about my lonely college life is a discovery...

I remember reading stories on the NetWeb about the early 2000's. It was a turning point for education because classes were becoming more extreme, students were digging more and more in debt, and there was a lot of economic breakdown. Well, minus the economic breakdown, we had our share of problems. Basic math didn't exist; Algebra was what you learned in the 1st grade. It just went on from there and never stopped... Now I was trying to learn my Dynamic Function Equations- something even my teacher could barely understand.

Regardless of what I had to do, school life was miserable. Between my job and classes, I never had any time to myself. Friends? What's that? Does my microwave count as a mutual partner in life?

It was this particular evening when my plans were abruptly ruined. I'd usually hate something like this, but I didn't realize at the time that it was the one and only event in which would completely upchuck my entire world.

At first, there was a rumble. The ground shook, causing me to lose my balance. Looking around, I saw the other people occupying the street fall over too, and we joined together in finding the source. Moments later, the sky got dark, and I realized then that something- something _huge_ was standing right above us. What on Earth was that!

Screams began to fill the air and everyone started running, attempting to get away from the imminent danger. It's hard to really take action when you're unaware of the problem, but I began running too. The weight of my shoulder bag was painful, but I didn't stop for a second. It was hard maneuvering through the crowds of people scattered in all directions. Before I managed to get very far, I was forcefully shoved out of someone's way and landed face-first on the ground. Seconds later when I had recovered, only stragglers remained, trying to find a place of safety. Looking at the sky, I saw the monstrous shadow once again.

Now that I was out in the open a bit more, I couldn't help but stare at the mysterious creature.

It was a robot. I giant robot! Where did it come from, and why was it here? What could it possibly want?

My heart sank. What if this was a weapon? ...A weapon used for war?

There were a few buildings nearby that looked as if they had been smacked, but no major damage resulted. If it wanted to do more damage, wouldn't it fire missiles or something? None of this made any sense! And what was worse, the robot had a horribly disfigured face, and it arms were adorned with claws. Despite its mostly humanoid shape, this thing looked more like some kind of Alien robot... but did that make any sense?

Actually, I was right on the money, and that really pissed me off.

It was time to stop gawking and get moving! This thing could kill me instantly. Better to die running, than with a stupid look on your face.

Before I could get up, there was a flash of yellow that blurred past my vision. Looking back to see what it was, I saw... a figure in yellow spandex. Yeah... um, what?

The figure stood at the foot of the robot, in a battle pose. Don't tell me it intended to fight that huge thing!

The person then held up their arms, and a strong gust blew overhead. There was another robot! Only this one was a winged yellow dragon. It looked majestic and heroic as it approached the other robot. The figure was now gone, and the two robots began to do battle. The dragon swooped around the humanoid in rapid circles. The humanoid swung at it with its claws, but it was simply too fast. In one swift movement, the dragon had glided straight down, puncturing the feeble armor with its fangs. Whilst clinging, it used its claws to tear apart at the armor.

Although it was a display of two metal beings doing battle, it was almost gruesome. The dragon tore the other one apart, slicing it open like minced meat. I felt it hard to watch, but I was frozen, and unable to tear my eyes away. In only a few minutes' time the robot fled, beams of light surrounding it. It didn't fly off or run off or anything... it just kind of disappeared. I suspected that maybe it had teleported here in the first place. After all, wouldn't we have seen it coming if it approached from the skies?

The majestic Yellow dragon flew off and I could no longer see it. I was going to yet again ask myself what the hell was going on, but I heard some voices chime in happily.

"It's the Yellow Ranger! The Yellow Ranger saved us!"

"He's so cool and strong! Even though he fights by himself, he always gets the job done!"

So this was normal? Wait, let me clear things up here. I had been in Angel Grove for two years and something like this had never happened. I didn't even hear about it on the news! Does that mean that events like this happened in the past, before I came here? Even so, someone said "he always gets the job done'. Clearly, this masked yellow hero has made a place in people's hearts. It was surreal, I had never heard such a thing. Why not use government technology to defeat these crazy robots? Oh man, my thoughts were spinning out of control...

I concluded that I should go back to my apartment. If the city was still in one piece by now, then surely something like that wouldn't happen again anytime soon.

If only I knew how soon things would actually get out of hand.


	2. Episode 2: Long Route Home

Episode 2

Long Route Home

7:30 AM on a Friday. Always so lovely.

After what happened yesterday, I abandoned my sanity-as well as my homework-and went to bed. Now I was paying for it.

Before I could be motivated to play catch-up, however, I needed to search the NetWeb a bit. Find out about this whole... "Yellow Ranger" thing. I can't believe something like this wasn't all over the Webz or Television. I mean, let me repeat myself: _there was a giant alien robot attacking the city_... WHATEVER THAT'S SUPPOSED TO MEAN!

Checking the NetWeb, there indeed were stories on this mysterious "Yellow Ranger" that rescued Angel Grove whenever it was in trouble or under attack by these mysterious beings. Apparently, it had been like this for the past ten years. It was as common as the local Police catching a thief, and that's why it never got so overblown. The evidence I gathered also deducted that attacks had been much less frequent lately, with this being the first time in three years. So that's why yesterday was so unexpected. Still...

Wasn't the Government doing something about this? What about city officials? I suppose they thought it better to leave it up to this mysterious masked hero. Not a soul knew his identity, either. I was sure that there was more going on behind the scenes that I didn't know about, but I gave it a rest for today. If you hadn't found your answer by the 10th page of Guurgle, then it probably didn't exist.

It was closing time for us at _Mimi's Cafe. _8PM, and I had finally finished my tedious second shift. Nothing unusual happened, but I did overhear a young couple talking about the reappearance of the Yellow Ranger. What they said made sense- no freaky robots around, no need for the man in yellow spandex. It was true, but I couldn't help but feel bad.

_How many lives has he potentially saved? And the only recognition he gets is some small chatter over dinner..._

I sighed. Maybe I was obsessed with the whole ordeal. Who knows? I finally had something to be interested in, and I couldn't find any reputable leads. Sleep was something that I really needed more of.

Upon leaving work, I headed down Showbiz Avenue, once again opting out on the ultra-speed monorail. I needed to clear my head. The sounds of the voices and advertisements atop the skyscrapers was intoxicating and helped me not to use my brain energy. Music leaking out of the open doors of nearby shops all blended together beneath a crimson sunset sky. The air was humid, but cold A/C bursts jutted out as people entered and exited shops. Voices chimed in unison as couples and groups each headed out to their own destination. Man, why couldn't that be me...?

I clutched the strap of my shoulder bag, remembering why I took this route home. The sun sunk lower in the sky, once again hid by the innumerable mass of buildings that filled the horizon. Soon it would be dark, and the lights illuminating the city would shine unto their full glory. The screens latched onto the sides of big business each showed something different. Hovercars quietly hummed by as the traffic moved at a steady pace. It's true that mother nature is truly the most beautiful thing, but there was something oddly appealing about all of this. I just couldn't explain it.

It was dark when I finally turned down my narrow street. There were some parts of Angel Grove that still looked relatively old-fashioned, and this was one of them. The apartment complex that I was in still used *gasp***** stairs, though the interior of the building was modern and each door still responded to keycard or handprint. Huh? "Metal Keys"...? Come on, we're not in prehistoric times, here.

I started toward the stairs once the building came in sight, but froze when I heard a terrified shriek. I looked around, but saw nothing. Carefully, I hugged the wall of the nearby building and inched my way towards the complex.

"No! Please!"

Cringing, whether out of fear or because that shriek could break glass, I continued forward. Slowly, carefully, I poked my head around the side of the building, getting a now complete view of the parking lot beneath the second floor balcony. I gasped at what I saw.

A gruesome creature with tentacles, clawed feet, several glowing eyes, and a hairy monstrosity of a head was approaching a terrified woman who had fallen on her rear end. I swung myself back out of sight, eyes wide in panic. What should I do!? Call the police/ What was I supposed to say!? There's an escaped mutant lab animal that's attacking an innocent person! Who the hell would believe me?

Gulping, I stole another peek. This thing definitely wasn't human, and looked to overall be just taller than an average man. There were gills and crevices on its body that jutted out, and... what's that? It had arms underneath those tentacles! And these arms were adorned with various colored orbs! This thing was a big hunk of mishmash and barf-inducing imagery. I couldn't begin to explain it _at all._ What's worse, is that it was advancing towards this defenseless woman!

The police would never make it in time, and that's why I had to do something.

Catching my second wind, I abruptly turned the corner and prepared to run into the fray.

I honestly, truly was going to, but...

"Agh! Huh...? Just who are you!" that gnarled voice roared. Someone else had joined in, indeed, milliseconds before I had.

It was another girl who had approached the beast. From the looks of it, she had just landed a kick on the back of it while it was distracted. She looked no different than any other person. Yet, her face showed an expressionless irritation. She readied herself in a fighting position.

"Oh, so that's how you like to play, eh? I'll teach you not to interrupt my dinner!" The beast cried out in fury, slinging its razor-sharp tentacles right at her.

"L-look out!" I cried. She threw herself to the left and somersaulted forward, immediately back on her feet. Using the opening, she gave the monster an uppercut to his underbelly. The other female who was being gained on quickly made her escape while the two were having at it. Smart move. So what was I still doing here?

I couldn't stop watching. In a way, this was terrifying. Yet, at the same time it was... was...

"...incredible..." the word bounced off my agape lips.

The alien-like mass cringed, but wasted no time at throwing another jab at her. She jumped back, avoiding the first hit. However, the beast used its other arm to jab at her midair, and it knocked her back several feet. She rolled after landing with a loud _thud_ and finally came to a stop. In only seconds, she sat up, a slight frown wearing her now. Was she going to get serious! Maybe she was trained in the martial arts; she certainly had incredible body control.

I saw her remove something from her jean pocket and ram it straight into that spot on the monster's belly. It yelped in pain and fell to its knees, gushing out a gruesome purple liquid.

"You haven't seen the last of me, wench..." it growled. The girl took another swipe at it, but it had already vanished. She stared at the spot that it had previously been, extremely still and quiet. Her facial expression revealed nothing to me, and her body seemed as still as a statue. Finally, she placed the pocketknife back into her pocket, and began walking down the opposite side of the street. Slowly, casually, as if what happened back there was nothing at all.

Then, suddenly, she collapsed.

She cringed over, holding her right side.

_It must have been wounded when she got hit!_

I rushed to her side without thinking.

"Excuse me, are you hurt? Here, let me help-"

I _really _wasn't expecting her to give me a punch right to my face. I fell back, holding my nose and crying out in pain.

"Hey! What was that for! I'm trying to help you! I just saw all that, and it's clear that you're tough... but you're obviously hurt, and you need some medical attention!"

I checked my palms. The broad had given me a damn bloody nose! Sheesh, you try to help someone and...

I shook my head, determined to help this heroic female. "Look, my apartment is right here, on the second floor. Let me give you some relief until I can call for an ambulance. I just came from work- look, you can check my shoulder bag if you don't trust me. Pat me down if you want, I don't care. See for yourself that I'm _not_ dangerous." In a somewhat smartass manner, I removed my shoulder bag and thrust it at her. Still, her facial expression remained static. Not moving a muscle, she continued to stare at me.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. My breath finally slowed down, but I felt the warm tinkle of blood hit my lips.

Slowly, she relaxed her posture and nodded if only a microscopic amount.

"Allrighty then," I said promptly. I returned my shoulder bag to its rightful place and walked around to her other side, gently grabbing her arm to lift it over my shoulder, keeping myself from making contact with her injured side. Though she still seemed wary of me, she allowed me to lead her up the stairs, to apartment number 208. We moved slowly, and I made sure to keep her pace so she wouldn't have to struggle. When we reached the door, I didn't have the ability to dig for my keycard. Instead, I lifted my left hand and placed it on the outside of the automatic door. Reading my palm print, it slid open.

Slowly but surely, we made it inside.


	3. Episode 3: Time that Approaches Rapidly

Episode 3

The Time that Approaches Rapidly

My apartment was dark. Once again, I had forgot to leave a light on for myself when I got back. I actually felt a little embarrassed fumbling for the light control panel with an injured martial arts specialist clinging to my side. When I finally managed to hit the right button, the room sprang to life.

My living room was simple; I only had a throw rug with a couch, a coffee table, and a small TV against the wall. My cheap model plasma-desk was in the corner of the room only a few feet away from my refrigerator and kitchen area. It was... well, yeah. Simple and boring, and no amount of detail I cram into this description would make it more interesting.

We dragged ourselves over to the couch, and I –as gently as I could – placed the madam down. She still held her side, but her face continued to show... absolutely nothing. Like her mind was lost in space. I ran over and sat my shoulder bag on my plasma-desk, frantically searching for my cell phone.

"Don't worry, I'm going to find my phone and call you an ambulance, okay?"

Surprise, surprise, no response.

I dug through the cluttered bag and finally located my cell phone. I flipped it open and began dialing the local emergency number, wiping off a drop of blood that ventured onto the screen. As I was about to hit the call button, a hand touched mine and encased the phone. It then proceeded to slowly close the phone and set it back on my desk.

"What're you...?"

She shook her head. Pointing to her side that she had previously been holding, I saw where her clothes had been torn. The clothes looked more damaged than the body- there was no blood. I sighed in frustration. What on Earth was going on with this girl?

Being as we were now face-to-face, I was able to take in her details. She had extremely fair skin and short, golden-yellow hair. It was heavily layered and came down to just above her shoulders Her large emerald eyes looked almost too beautiful to be real. She wore a short black-jacket over a white T-shirt and blue jeans. Compared to my work uniform, which consisted of khakis and a collared shirt... she looked like a model.

Actually, she was quite beautiful. I felt nervous staring at her for so long.

"Well, if you don't want me to call for anyone, than what do you want me to do?"

She looked at her feet, pondering my question. She then returned to the couch and promptly laid down.

_Seriously, what a strange girl. Is she ever going to talk?_

Feeling dejected and exhausted, I headed into the bathroom to asses the damage. Seeing yourself with blood all over your face and shirt isn't as cool as the movies make it out to be. Actually, it's kind of depressing. Blood leaves a stain, you know.

After cleaning up I returned to the living room to see the blonde sleeping quietly, or at least that's what it looked like. She was curled up into a sleeping position, but there was no way she could have been comfortable. I managed to find a spare pillow and some blankets and hooked her up. Now, her body seemed much less stiff. That statue-esque face of hers also softened into a relaxing state.

Today was one heck of a day. That double shift at _Mimi's Cafe_ was finally catching up with me and I was well aware of how tired I was. Without much more thought, I collapsed into bed and passed the heck out.

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

No... no... make that horrible noise stop... please...

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ugh! It's so annoying... stop! Stop it, now!

_Beep. Beep. BEEP. BEEP. BE-_

KARATE MOFOING CHOP!

The morning tradition of me dealing a heavy blow to my alarm clock had just been carried out. It's great that the objective was to wake you up, but did the beep have to be _so incredibly annoying!_

I rolled out of bed. I didn't have to think too hard about everything that had happened yesterday, it was all still so fresh in my mind.

I went ahead and got ready, and checked the living room couch to survey the scene. Blondie was still hanging around, sitting upright on the couch this morning. I wonder how she had slept? Better try to make conversation, though I knew it was fruitless.

"Good morning... um."

She turned to me and stared with those bug eyes of hers.

"Listen. I have to go to class today. I'll only be a few hours, so... why don't you stay here and rest up, and we'll decide what to do when I get back?"

A slow nod. Allrighty then.

I toasted a bagel in record time and headed out the door. It isn't that I felt uncomfortable around her, it's just that... well she wasn't one for conversation. I felt like I was just talking to myself half the time. It really was a shame, too. She had fought off some freaky mutant all on her own, and she treated it like it was throwing away someone else's garbage. Something _that_ unexciting and redundant. I... really, really didn't get it.

* * *

As it turns out, focusing on classwork and lectures actually makes the time go by faster. Much to my surprise, there weren't any more attacks or shenanigans and stumbling into two in a row was just pure coincidence. That girl? Probably just a quiet girl who secretly loved action movies and wanted to be a heroine. Nothing too unusual. Those monsters? Who cares? I had to focus on other things and it was probably some stupid publicity stunt and...

As you can imagine, I was just trying to convince myself that this was all just a silly little event that would soon be over with. How pitiful!

I was honestly aware that deep in my mind, I was lying. Lying like a little sissy. Still... what could I do? How would a normal human being deal with situations like this? I was so frustrated with it all!

_Actually, change of plans. I'll just get through tonight and everything should be resolved by tomorrow._

As soon as classes ended, I got all of my belongings together and raced to the ultra-speed monorail.

My mind was made up. I was going to get an answer out of her once and for all. I was going to shake her or starve her or hold her hostage if I had to. She was going to tell me all about what she had been doing, why she wasn't _that_ hurt, and then she was going to continue on her merry way- taking all of that weird alien action with her and leaving me out of it.

I stepped onto the monorail and took my seat. The car began to fill up in no time and the vehicle started along the perfectly manufactured tracks. It's not that the car was shaking. No. Modern technology didn't allow for that kind of error. It was my hands. My arms. My legs. My entire body was shaking uncontrollably. It took all I had not to spill my campus-purchased coffee. There was something in my mind that caused an immense terror that I couldn't quite explain. Well, really, have I been able to explain anything up to this point?

Looking back on it... maybe reality was hitting me like a brick wall. Delayed, yes, but I was still feeling the effects of it. I needed to get home.

I shoved my way through pedestrians entering and exiting the station until I was outside. From there, my apartment was only a few minutes away. I walked quickly, taking the longest strides possible. The sense of urgency in my chest was rising, like a shaken-up soda can about to be opened.

When the building came into my sight, that pressure dimmed down a little. I was almost there. I was going to get some answers, and I wasn't going to stop prying until I was satisfied.

I mashed my palm against the door reader. It beeped at me angrily, but still slid open after a moment. I took a step inside.

I was panting a bit heavily due to the mix of excitement and physical exertion. Everything looked exactly as I had left it this morning. It was quiet, still... and there was a blonde-haired girl sitting on my couch. She had not moved an inch since I left her there this morning. Her eyes glazed over to me when she heard me enter.

Somewhat roughly, I threw my bag on the plasma-desk and wheeled my way in front of her.

"All right, you! Enough games! You're going to tell me who you are and why you fought with that monster! And you're going to tell me _right now!"_

With that unchanging expression, she stood up and gave me a somewhat rigid stare-down. I was tempted to back away, feeling a slight inkling of fear. I knew what she was capable of, but I was going to get my answers whether she liked it or not!

We looked at each other somewhat intensely for several moments of strained silence. It was then, finally, that she spoke.

"My name is... Alice."

With the voice of a gentle river, she had finally used her breath to humor me. Smiling softly, she then asked me: "What is yours?"

What's with the sudden change of pace here! Not that I'm complaining, at least I got her to say something.

"It's Karin."

She closed her eyes, still smiling gently, and grabbed my hand. She squeezed it. Staring at our hands clasped together, she seemed lost in thought once more.

"I... I trust you. That is why I-"

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Wait a second! This isn't a dream! So why is there an annoying beep going off that's about a thousand times worse than my alarm! I winced in shock from the sudden outburst of noise. Alice looked just as alert as I did. Her mouth was open to speak, but all that was coming from her windpipes was an obnoxious, irritating noise!

Before I could ask any more questions, someone began banging at the door.


	4. Episode 4: Breaking the Silence

Episode 4

Breaking the Silence

So much noise and confusion going on here.

Alice and I backed up against the wall furthest from the door, wearing the expression titled "deer in headlights". My heart was pounding heavily against my ribcage. A sweaty palm clung to Alice's arm, with the faint hope that she might protect me if this was some kind of attack.

That annoying racket continued loudly in the body next to me, but it was drowned out by my extreme focus on the door.

Our only safe means of escape was being penetrated by something unknown. We could jump out of the window, but this was the second story. I imagine that wouldn't go over so well. My mind briefly wandered for a few seconds to picture how I'd react if things came to that, but ultimately ground itself to a halt.

Suddenly, the banging stopped. The eerie silence echoed throughout the room before being replaced by a popping noise.

A faint light could be seen from the other side of the door. Still, I couldn't get myself to move.

Seconds later, the door slid open and that horrible noise finally stopped.

I had no intentions of seeing a woman enter my apartment. By herself. Wearing seemingly normal clothes, having normal glasses, and topped with seemingly normal wavy orange hair. She had that mess pulled back too, and was hunched over, panting, out of breath.

"So _this_ is where you've been hiding, Unit Seven Zero Zero One."

Alice gave a scowl, taking in this figure with familiar eyes. "Professor Melissa Dolvo."

This exchange was so awkward and _tense._ "Er...?" I managed to blurt out.

"Ahh..." the woman exhaled deeply, taking a relaxed posture now. She shoved the tool (used to fricken break into my apartment) into her back pocket and folded her arms. "Do you _really_ enjoy forcing me to use muscles that I didn't know existed? Since when did you become a comedian?"

Replying with silence was Alice's trademark by now. Instead, I decided to speak up.

"Wait a second here! Why are you talking about Alice like she just got off the reproduction cart-?"

And then it hit me. _Of course._ **She was a robot.** Ironically, that explained a lot. Though looking at her physical appearance, there were no seams or pieces of metal sticking out to give it away. She looked just like a human. An extremely beautiful human with flawless skin, but still completely convincing.

"Alice? So that's what you're calling yourself now?" she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Obviously, child, she's unit Seven Zero Zero One because she's the 7,001st robot to be built by me. Numbers make listing much easier."

My jaw dropped. I was almost tempted to compliment her handiwork, but I had a feeling Alice wouldn't be too happy about that.

"Anyway, I didn't come here to chit-chat. Unit Seven Zero Zero One, we need to talk. It's important."

Melissa began to slowly approach her, but Alice slid further behind me. She may have been brave, all right, but something about this labcoat-wearing lass scared her. I didn't blame her, I mean Melissa had this crazy gleam in her eye! Like a pirate that had just found the giant X and the booty right beneath it.

"Listen. It took me a long time to come to this decision, and I've made up my mind. I feel that you'll be relieved to hear it."

Alice still held her intense stare, but didn't move an inch. Melissa smiled slightly, almost like a mother being amused by her young child's stubbornness.

"I've decided that we're going to remain independent from any and all outside organizations."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but I knew Alice did.

"You are just lying again! I don't believe you!" Alice cried, the bittersweet feeling of betrayal scorching her voice modules. Without another word, she zoomed past the professor and flew straight out the door.

"Alice!" I cried, but she was already gone. Melissa sighed in annoyance.

"Sheesh, there she goes again. She always runs off when things get uncomfortable."

"Hey! Obviously you said something to make her upset! Who knows if you're really telling the truth or not!?" I pinned her with accusation. She just shook her head.

"Why would I track her down across the entire city just to try and fix this mess? I'd personally like to be on good terms again. She can be a real handful when she gets like this. I'd better go after her."

"Wait..." I began. "If you go after her, she might just bail on you again. Let me go looking for her instead."

The woman took a seat at my plasma-desk, pondering my suggestion. "...All right."

She reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a small gray tablet, no bigger than a snack cracker.

"This will show you her location. Just press the button and a holo-screen will appear. It's quite simple."

Taking it from her, I nodded slightly. "Listen, I don't know what happened between you two. And to be fair, you kinda freaked us out with the whole... welding my door and setting off an alarm in Alice thing. But still, I think she should at least hear what you have to say, then decide for herself."

The woman smiled cheerfully. "That's the idea!"

"Okay," I started for the now open door. "I'll be back soon."

As I headed out, I saw her take a sip of my campus purchased coffee.

* * *

The holo-map that Melissa gave me was so easy to use and understand. The map could be tilted into two dimensions or three, so I could not only see exactly where Alice was at, I could tell what floor she was on and which direction she was headed. That scientist really was something else. Though I still managed to feel bad about all of this. Who really wants to be this closely monitored? Maybe Alice had a different viewpoint of privacy, but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to have it too! I really wanted all of this to clear itself up.

The streets were active with the same cycle of activity that happened every day around sunset. Too bad I couldn't really enjoy it today. I also didn't think this evening would be so _humid_. I suppose it's only natural for the peak of July- or so, citywide climate control was still being worked on.

It didn't take me long to find Alice. She had come to a stop on the second floor of a small building. When I approached the building, I saw that it was an Arcade called "Game Jockey". Wait a second, wasn't this the newest one that was just built only a few months ago? I had heard some classmates talking about it. Apparently, it exceeded expectations.

So, makes sense that it was really crowded when I arrived. What was Alice doing here?

I made my way through the chaotic crowd of teenage cliques and screaming children. I waited what seemed like an eternity whilst riding the escalator, and upon stepping off I found the second floor of equally-matched madness. Checking the holo-map, it indicated that Alice was nearby.

I followed the signal, continuing to push past hoards of overly excited people. Almost there...

For some reason, the sight that followed my discovery of her was extremely... melancholic.

She was alone, in the back corner of the second floor. She stared intensely at the small plush toys stacked together inside of an old-fashioned crane game. Compared to the rest of the arcade, this section was quiet and deserted.

"Alice!" I exclaimed happily. I was glad to see her again, even if we had only been apart for a short while. She turned to me, surprise clear on her face.

"Karin?" she slowly turned back to press her face against the glass. "So you've found me."

"Hey!" I linked our arms. "Of course I did! When your friend runs off looking distressed, do you really just let them go? Well, certainly not with aliens and expensive arcade prices roaming about!"

She stifled a smile, looking relieved. "I am so glad that you have called me your 'friend'."

Smirking, I cut my eyes at her. "You started it with all that 'I trust you' business! So I'm following suit~"

She nodded and smiled sincerely.

"Do you like crane games like this, Alice?" I gestured towards the machine that she seemed so fascinated with.

"Ever since I first came to an arcade, I kept seeing these, and there was something bothering me..." she paused. "All of those poor little animals are st-stuck inside of this cage! I just want to.. rescue them all." She finished the last part quietly. Was that a hint of pink on her cheeks?

I couldn't help but giggle. She turned away from me, clearly feeling a tad silly.

"Wah, Alice, if you get any cuter I dunno what I'm gonna do with you! Now..." I cleared my throat, bracing for impact. "I see that you and the Professor aren't exactly on good terms, but I still think you should hear what she wants to say. You won't need to worry, I'll be right here with you! In the end, the choice will be yours. She said so herself."

Alice seemed to have an internal debate on what she was going to reply with. She nodded her head gracefully.

"If you are with me... then I will listen."

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! We'll be together, so we have nothing to fear! Now, let's head back before the sound of screaming children permanently burns itself into my brain."

She managed to let out half a chuckle. I was really making progress with her today!

We started towards the exit, and I was feeling relieved to finally leave this place. Of course, something had to go wrong.

_BOOM!_

There was a big-ass explosion near the front door. Screams pierced my eardrums and debris flung outwards in all directions. Smoke billowed towards the ceiling and hugged the walls, infiltrating every crack in sight. Can you imagine what it's like for a ton of people in an extremely crowded place to _panic?_ Alice and I nearly got trampled! Everyone frantically ran wherever they could, a lot of the clogging the emergency exits. Alice and I hung back, staying away from one hazard but being crept on by the other.

As the flames from the broken machinery began to spread, there was yet another explosion.

And another.

And another.

Glass shattered and flew everywhere, the ceiling was totaled and the mixture of heat with the exceeded amounts of electrical equipment was a match made in hell. The plastic that many games were made out of was having a mass melting party, and the smell was disgusting, Breathing in fumes like this wasn't only dangerous, but unpleasant.

I coughed heavily, covering my mouth to try and stop myself from breathing anything in. My eyes got watery and I couldn't see well, either. I was a sitting duck!

Alice looked around, no doubt taking in her surroundings and deciding for the best course of action. Grabbing my wrist, she pulled me through rows of broken arcade machines until we reached the second floor, which was now mostly void of people. There were no emergency exits on this floor. What was Alice thinking?

Luckily, there wasn't that much smoke up here, either. It would be quite a few minutes as most for this area to become too dangerous. I fell to my knees, feeling weak.

"Karin! Hang on! I'm going to... gh... ck... he..."

That beautiful voice that I had had the pleasure of hearing more frequently was fading out.

* * *

"Dammit author, another cliffhanger!? Now you're just screwing around!"

Ohohoho~


	5. Episode 5: You, Me, Who?

Episode 5

You, Me, Who?

Alice was well aware that her companion's consciousness was slipping away. She was only a fragile human, after all.

The light-speed computer that substituted itself as her mind was already finished calculating what she needed to do in the time frame that she was given.

One, get Karin to safety.

Two, get everyone else to safety.

Three, put out this obnoxious fire. It really was a bother than anything else.

_Boom._

Time was the thing really slipping away.

Alice quickly ran towards the now nonmoving escalators to scan the area for other potentially dangerous conditions. The fire was still raging like a monstrous beast, devouring everything in its path. She used her powerful legs to leap over mounds of melted plastic and scorched plush toys. She felt disturbed that such cute things could look so... _disgusting_. They no longer looked like plush toys, but rather the scorched, lingering memories of some great disaster.

Alice didn't let herself be distracted. She did a full swoop of the bottom floor in less than thirty seconds. The emergency exists were empty, and no stragglers remained, much to Alice's relief. At this point, the first floor was a deathtrap, as it was way too hot to be handled by human skin.

With one quick look around, Alice decided to return to the second floor. However, a simple question tugged at her mind. _Why hadn't the sprinklers come on yet?_

Although there had been an explosion, the entire ceiling hadn't been destroyed. In fact, only the arcade machines and walls seemed to suffer much damage. New buildings had fire-resistant walls and furnishings nowadays, which almost had the Fire Department go out of business. The ceiling, although charred, was perfectly fine. Yet, the sprinklers remained oblivious to the scorching scene beneath them.

Alice spotted one on her way back to the escalators. She leapt up and gave it a tug. It was very difficult to move, as if it was molded into the ceiling for decoration only. After using all her might, she managed to pull it free and the water deployed. Now, why was that so hard? Was it perhaps a building flaw?

No. Alice knew exactly what was going on here. This wasn't some random act of terrorism. This was somebody's idea of a "big plan". Someone had done this. Deliberately.

But why?

Unable to dwell on these puzzling questions any longer, Alice shot up the escalator, which was now almost completely melted. Thankfully, the android was light on her feet and didn't risk sinking into the goo. She jolted back to Karin, knowing that she was safe, but still worried about her safety. How long had it been that she had thought personally about someone else's well-being? Usually it was just...

She snapped back to reality when she saw a bomb roll into her line of sight and stop right in front of her.

She jumped back just in time to avoid the blast, thanks to her supercomputer brain.

The smoke cleared, and Alice gasped aloud at what she saw.

Karin was being pinned by her neck against the back wall. By one of _them._

The small-figured young woman was barely awake, and her face was twisted in pain. She clutched the arm holding her in place, clearly somewhat determined to remove it from her neck. Her legs hung limp below her, signaling to Alice that she didn't have much strength left.

She could only stare in horror at Karin, but the beast had its focus on _her_.

"Another one comes to join the party? Tell me, are you that eager to die? Hahaha! Hysteria welcomes all you fear, all your sorrow! Panic! Confusion! It's all so beautiful!"

The voice hurt one's ears. Mangled, twisted vocals that sounded completely foreign and evil.

"Once I finish you two, I'll have enough dread to become unstoppable! Hahaha! How's it feel to have your precious place of fun burned straight to the ground!? You're trapped, and there's no escape for you!"

It just kept laughing, and laughing, and laughing. Did it ever shut up? If fear and confusion is what this beast preyed on, then Alice was its worst nightmare. She wasn't weighed down by those types of emotions. However, she was weighed down by a conscience, and that's why she needed to rescue Karin. The poor girl looked at her wits end, and Alice couldn't blame her.

"I will stop you!" Alice cried, rushing at him. He used his right arm to fend her off, a sharp blade protruding in place of where a hand would be. He was adorned with the same glowing orbs that seemed to be a trademark for these creeps, and spikes stuck out from every conceivable angle.

She delivered blows to his arm, but he didn't seem very phased by this. She managed to maneuver behind him, using his limited mobility to her advantage. She grabbed his arm with both of hers and twisted it in a jagged position, earning a loud snap in return.

The arm snapped in several places, and fell down limp. Unfortunately, it didn't stay like this for more than a few seconds, and began swinging at her again, completely healed.

"Ahahaha! Are you panicked yet? Go on, show me your wide pupils!"

Alice moved out of his reach, feeling unsettled. He had managed to get a lot of what he was after- hysteria. With all of the people panicking in here before, it was enough fuel to launch a rocket into space. He was a lot more powerful than she had anticipated, and this was bad.

She then realized that this plan, as sinister as it was, was also very well-thought out. It as a place a lot of people gathered, especially children, who sought their parents' comfort when things got bad. In the confusion, many parents and children probably got separated. A relaxing afternoon had turned into a terrifying ordeal. This plan was ingenious, spiteful, and evil straight to the core. Alice found herself being engulfed by rage.

These Aliens were about to get their asses beat, and she didn't care what she had to do.

_It is their fault that I...!_

She reached into her shirt, the small inside pocket on her mini-jacket.

She pulled out that familiar small object that she was so used to holding.

And she let the flames of power engulf her entire being.

* * *

I couldn't speak. No... not anymore. Between the smoke and the crushed windpipe, I felt pretty much done for. I couldn't even call out to Alice and tell her to get away. This thing, whatever it was... was too strong.

When he touched me, I felt all the pain, sorrow, and panic that he had absorbed. It flowed into me violently, nearly causing an internal breakdown of my mental senses. I could only stare wide-eyed with a pounding heart. My body wouldn't move, no matter how much I commanded it to. The sound of rapid gasps of breath was all I could concentrate on, feeling my time gradually slip away.

Alice looked so cool, even now. The anger in her eyes, the determination in her stance... the bright flash of yellow light which engulfed her made her seem like a guardian angel. Well, a badass guardian angel, but still. It seemed like a match made in heaven, didn't it?

I didn't have the think too hard about her being the Yellow Ranger. Things just sort of made sense now. It was still shocking, but at this point my mind was so overwhelmed that I couldn't bear to think about it. Hadn't enough happened today? She looked even more majestic in the getup, which I could now observe up-close.

So, Alice was the Yellow Ranger... that truth couldn't possibly be ruled out now. It didn't follow logic or reason, but it worked. It just did.

"You will release Karin, now!" she roared. I didn't have to see her face to know what expression she was wearing. She took a battle stance before lunging at the monstrosity with all her might.

This caught him off-guard, and knocked him backwards, causing his grip on me to let up. Alice slammed into him again, this time separating us entirely. She caught me before I hit the ground, and moved me out of harms way. Though I couldn't say so, I was perfectly grateful.

But then, Alice did something quite unexpected. She grabbed an arcade machine, lifted it straight above her head, and threw it with all the force in the universe straight at the monster.

He wasn't expecting her to hit him with this kind of determination, and he couldn't even manage to react. The metal-made machine slammed straight into him, flattening his rigid body into a pancake! He then began to disintegrate into a gas which only seemed to agitate the approaching flames more. We're all tempted to ask "what happened?", but this is just another thing we can add to the 'can't explain' list.

Alice wasted no time grabbing me and forcing us both straight through the large window normally used for viewing the advertisements on the adjacent buildings. With her enhanced strength, she landed with grace just as another explosion erupted above. She shielded me as broken glass rained down on us. She then took off down the road with me in her arms, past crowds of confused and dirtied people. The sirens of rescue and alert teams echoed throughout the evening sky.

A few minutes later, I found myself being carried by a normal Alice on the back road leading to my apartment. She seemed to have resolve now, and didn't look as if she wanted to speak.

"Alice... Thank you." I smiled. She slowed her pace to a walk and nodded slightly.

"No need to thank me, it is my duty. I just hope you aren't disturbed by finding out exactly... what I am capable of."

"Don't be stupid, Alice. You handled yourself really well back there. I'm not worried at all! In fact... I feel nice and safe in your arms~ "

She smiled a bit and looked relieved. When we neared the dimly-lit parking lot of my apartment, she came to a halt.

"You must keep it a secret. I cannot imagine how people would react if they knew that... their beloved Yellow Ranger was an android. We are popular now, but people still do not trust us fully. I can feel what's in their hearts. It isn't pleasant."

Alice looked so hurt just thinking about it. That made me feel... well, really sad.

"You are different, Karin. The way you feel about me... its as if I am a normal person with normal feelings. I am happy, but... do not let yourself get too comfortable. My system could go haywire at any second. I could harm you, or even my creator. I... do not want that."

I gently touched her head. "You think too much, Alice. Let's just... wrap up today. Deal? We've had _way _more excitement than any two damsels should."

Nodding, she started up the stairs.

"Yes."

* * *

This was originally all going to be included in chapter 4, but I didn't want a hyper-long chapter, so it worked out this way.

Although I had the idea set in stone, I was really hesitant on how to execute it, really. Maybe not as good as I would have hoped, but it worked out in the end :D Slowly but surely, things are beginning to fall in motion. Sheesh, I wonder what's going to happen from here? These Aliens are gettig stronger, and we've learned about the Yellow Ranger but... where are the rest? And yeah MELISSA CARE TO EXPLAIN!?

... it's been a long week. Thank you so very much for reading.


	6. Episode 6: The Hope that I Cling to

Episode 6

The Hope that I Cling to

"Unit Sev- Alice! Karin! Thank God you're both all right!"

So, this is just a guess, but maybe Melissa was worried...?

Alice set me on the couch as Melissa approached us. Most of the pain had subsided, and I was pleased to observe my apartment door- which was now fixed. Today might have sucked, but at least something worked out.

"I don't know how you both can live with yourselves! I tried making contact with the locator, and with Alice directly! Neither of you responded! After hearing the news about the bombs in the Arcade, I thought you had been damaged for sure!"

"...I was in Panic Mode," Alice said promptly, not rewarding her with any eye contact.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the locator. It looked like it had been thrown into a garbage disposal.

"Eheh... sorry," I squeaked, feeling dagger glances being shot at me.

The red-haired scientist sighed. "I should be thankful. Unfortunately, we're already in the middle of a war, and things are escalating much too quickly. There's not even any time to be prepared! We really must find the others, and fast! Oh, where is the red..." She began mumbling the last few sentences, pacing back and forth.

"Professor..." Alice started. Karin has seen my true identity. I do not wish to hide anything from her any longer."

Melissa looked exhausted. She then shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, hey, as long as she doesn't tell, she'll stay in one piece. If she does, however..." she smirked, "she shall be dissected and all her precious body parts will be put into jars! Hahahaha!"

I felt my body go numb. "R-really that won't be a problem!"

Instinct to take off: ON

"Karin is my special friend. She would not do something like that. She is... the nicest human I have come to know."

"Egad! No love for your creator!?" Melissa seemed somewhat hurt, but it was obvious that Alice was still uneasy around her.

Oh yeah, by the way, remember four episodes ago? When she wouldn't talk and just punched me instead? Well, we're apparently over that now!

Not that I even remembered it. Really, everything was all said and done without being pointed out. That was another weight off my shoulders. Even so, there was still something that bothered me. That random attack on the arcade... Alice and I just happened to be there, and the attacker was another mutant alien monster thing. Did it somehow know that she was the Yellow Ranger? Did it attack that place specifically, aiming to destroy her at a time of "emotional" weakness?

Actually, I was thinking too hard. Hysteria clearly stated that he fed on the frantic panicking of a lot of people in a small, crowded place. The mixture of smoke and burnt plastic had been so revolting and it only hindered concentration more. The plan, the timing, the execution... were all genius.

Maybe this threat was more dangerous than I thought. Not good. Definitely not good.

"Well, miss Karin. I will reveal everything to you. As a fair trade-off, our secrets for the ability to continue breathing. Sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?"

Something tells me that Melissa had way too much fun saying that to me. I nodded slowly, trying hard not to seem _too_ scared.

"Considering that Alice is not only the most badass robot in existence but she also saved my life, I'd say that we have a solid bargain. I'll help any way I can."

Alice looked relieved and Melissa smiled slightly. "Go on, Unit- ah, Alice. Show her your pendant which contains your powers."

Alice reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a thin silver chain. Connected to the end of this chain was the most beautiful amulet I had ever seen. An intricate design made out of pure silver encased a bright yellow jewel that glistened more than radiant starlight. I held it gingerly in my hands, not wanting to tarnish the unrealistic beauty. It looked like a fancy necklace more than anything, but certainly worth billions that I couldn't even imagine.

Yet, although it was beautiful and ornate to an extent... it was also somewhat simplistic. The yellow jewel was clearly the focal point. How long had Alice had this?

"What you see here is my old pendant, which contains the spirit of the Yellow Ranger. While I haven't been able to examine it in detail, it's clear that it has powers beyond anything human. Even though I'm a scientist, I can easily admit that whatever lies inside of that... cannot be explained by rhyme or reason."

I continued staring at it. So it had the ability to morph, despite just being a gem with unknown contents stored inside. It was almost like magic.

"My father gave it to me as a graduation present. It had belonged to my mother, but she passed away while I was still in high school. Thus, it passed on to me, somewhat like a heirloom... but hell, I just liked it because it went with everything." She chuckled.

I wore it every day, rain or shine. Through the long hours of engineering college, work, and even late at night, while doing projects. When I was finally accepted into the Institution of Science and Technology, that's when I began building robots. I built tons of tiny ones, a few animal ones, and even humanoid robots. While the animal and miniature robots were all flawless, I could never quite get my humanoids right."

She sat down on the arm of the couch, lost in thought while recalling these events. I felt myself increasingly interested as the story went on.

"It was only then, 11 years ago that I built the perfect humanoid robot. Unit Seven Zero Zero One. Not a second after she had opened her eyes and come to life, did the yellow pendant respond to her."

I stole a glance at Alice. She really was amazing, to be bestowed with the destiny of the Yellow Ranger from the very moment of her birth.

"As you can imagine, this came as quite a shock. How could I explain such a random phenomena that wasn't backed by science, the very core of my existence? I held on to the amulet and we never mentioned it to a single soul."

A year had passed since Alice and I had started living together. Essentially, I wanted to mass produce Unit Seven Zero Zero One and bring success to the Institute and my family name. But something was beginning to be disturbingly clear. Alice was the absolute perfect humanoid robot. Her sense of judgment, her adaptability, her speech, her martial arts skill..."

It didn't make any sense at all. I had kept goofing off on all the humanoids before her. Was it a lucky break? That would be nice to believe, but sadly, scientists don't believe in luck. The odds of this happening were about a gazillion to one. Immediately I knew that something much bigger was at work here. Alice was... destined to save the world. And no, scientists don't believe in that word 'destiny' either."

"That's just... way amazing. Alice, stop being so cool! I'm supposed to be the main character..."

Okay, I didn't really say that, but I wanted to!

"That's amazing... I can't believe it. Melissa, do you think that your mom was a previous Yellow Ranger? Do you have any idea why it may have reacted to Alice? And the answer to this might be obvious, but... why not team up with the government and the Police force to stop this threat? There's a ton of Police officers, but only Alice can stop the aliens. It would be an unstoppable force."

She shrugged. "Who knows? That would be kind of interesting, wouldn't it? As for it reacting to Alice and not me... well, it's better this way. Though the Ranger suit is protective and enhances human abilities ten-fold, the truth is that my body is weak. I'm getting old. Maybe because I wasn't suitable, it went with the next best thing and chose my 'child', my perfect creation instead? Either way, this works out better, Unit Seven Zero Zero one is much more suited for combat."

I turned just in time to see Alice look at her feet. "Melissa has tried to team up with government agencies before. When she came here to find me, that's the message she was trying to deliver. After years of debate and struggle, she has finally decided to be independent."

Melissa looked angry. Unable to sit anymore, she began pacing rapidly, stomping her feet. "That's right! They're all greedy bastards, every one of them! I told them that I knew the Yellow Ranger personally, and to cooperate to rid of the Alien threat that had become recently active. With my technology and abilities combined with their authority, we'd be an unstoppable team! No, all I got was the cold shoulder and that stupid phrase, 'it isn't in our best interests'! I already know what this is about! They're all concerned about themselves, the damage to _their _buildings, and _their_ view in the public eye. Simply put, they don't want competition. They may praise the Ranger in public, but in private, they're thinking of a million ways to bring him down."

I sighed sadly. I really had neutral thoughts about our political system, but this really brought everything into a new light. Was that really the way things were...?

Alice shook her head. "It is better this way. If everyone were to find out that their hero was really a humanoid... they would turn against us. Then... we would have no one on our side."

Alice was right. To be anonymous and guaranteed protection rather than risk losing both your identity and trust in the peoples' hearts. It wasn't fair either way, but her plans were clear. I couldn't help but respect her for the things that she had done. Now I just had to know- did she really like being a hero, or did she feel differently about it than I did?

"My goal is to create an independent team of Rangers to stop any and all threats that might befall Angel Grove. There's no doubt that the other Rangers from the legends are out there somewhere, and its our duty to gather them up. If we create a strong team, like how things were done long before our time, then we may stand a chance against these mysterious invaders." She looked worn out. "All I need to do now is finish the machine that can detect Ranger Power. I was so nervous when you two were gone that I worked on it frivolously!" She smiled sheepishly.

"I'm guessing that when Alice first awakened to her power, things weren't as bad as they are now." I added.

"And you'd be right," Melissa replied, looking stern. "Attacks are increasing, and the enemy is becoming stronger. But I think we've had enough for today. You both need some rest and rebootation, and just leave all the technical stuff to me."

Maybe Melissa wasn't such a bad person after all. Despite being turned down by the very ones she wanted to protect, she still had an admirable sense of duty. Sometimes, nobody wanted to look at the ugly truth. Melissa was being responsible, volunteering to go along with something that was the polar opposite of what she came to believe in. It was fascinating.

I was too exhausted to think anymore, and drifted off to sleep before my brain could do much more wandering.


	7. Episode 7: Two of a Kind

Episode 7

Two of a Kind

"This isn't necessary, Karin. Why are you so persistent?"

Alice weighed a ton. She was really being stubborn about going out today, especially after such a tiring day yesterday. She pretty much gave me her dead weight while I pushed her forward at the speed of an exhausted turtle.

"Yesterday was bad. It spoiled my mood and it's pretty clear that it did yours too. Besides, you like those old-fashioned crane games, right? There's another arcade nearby that still has them. So just-" I felt my muscles being worked harder than they had in years- "accept my goodwill!"

Alice swung her head around, looking moody and obviously in internal debate. Finally, I felt the weight shift and nearly stumbled forward.

"...I shall allow you to do so today. Only if you promise to rest tomorrow."

Heh. I had school tomorrow, but I said "sure, sure" through gritted teeth. Wait, why was she looking at me like that? Was I being too obvious?

I was extremely stressed, but you gotta take some hits for the team if you want to succeed. Alice dropped her dirty look and continued down the street.

We had both slept pretty well, but I for one had some crazy-ass dreams. With the insane amount of information that Melissa had given me last night, it's safe to say _that_ was anticipated. Even with all that, I really really **really** hoped that today would go at least somewhat smoothly. Gods, if you're out there, please don't fail me now!

The arcade was a bit of a walk, but it was a nice day. I was really hoping to cheer Alice up by having her win some of those cute stuffed toys. Those would put a smile on any girl's face, wouldn't they? She seemed really intrigued by them yesterday, but we didn't get an opportunity to test them out.

When we arrived, we noticed that this arcade was particularly less crowded than the other one. This Arcade, _Ginko's_, was a bit more aged and kept some of the more outdated stuff, to attract in older customers. It worked surprisingly well, and despite being a little old-fashioned, it was definitely successful. I smiled excitedly when we entered. Today, I was going to have fun! Alice on the other hand still looked doubtful. I grabbed her cheeks.

"If you don't smile right now then so help me God-"

She did a little. "Is this better?"

I released her captive cheeks. "Much better! Now, let's have some fun!"

Alice and I zoomed through the arcade like little kids. There were tabletop arcade games, crane games, games where different timing got you different prizes, and even a small virtual reality roller coaster machine.

… Alice really liked that one, too. You shoulda seen how wide her eyes got.

When she was finally ready to give the mysterious crane game a try, I handed her a few tokens.

"This is it, Alice. The whole universe is riding on your shoulders. Can you obtain the pink kitten successfully?"

"There is no way I will lose. I know exactly how to position this machine. Victory is inevitable."

She was in serious mode, just as I predicted. Grinning evily, I watched as she moved the joystick with light taps, sending the crane in the same direction, even if only a few centimeters. Carefully, she analyzed the position of the crane to double-check before making her decision. The small red timing on the machine clicked towards the 5 second mark, and Alice tapped the button just before it hit 0. The crane reached down and opened its arms, beckoning the stuffed toy to accompany it. It had a firm grip and it seemed impossible to lose. It neared the prize basket, ready to release it...

… it released too early!

The kitten bounced around a bit after falling until it landed right next to the prize basket. It was slumped over the side and almost looked depressed.

Alice's face was a mix of shock, betrayal, and horror. She was a robot, so losing was supposed to be impossible. To put it bluntly, this was... kind of amusing.

I nudged her. "It's okay Alice. These things are rigged anyway."

She looked defeated. "My one rival... the crane machine... still outwitted me..."

So no wonder Alice was so interested in these things. Their clunky design and control was unfamiliar territory. It was the one opponent she couldn't beat. As silly as that sounded, it was also completely logical. I gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Alice, I won't let you go home empty handed. Leave this to me."

Alice turned to me curiously, expecting me to take out some more tokens and knock the kitten down the chute. However, our pockets were already empty after our game fest and so I had a totally different plan in mind.

I checked around to make sure no one was watching us. Perfect. I casually slid down and stuck my arm into the opening, reaching upwards for the stuffed animal. It was just out of reach.

"Karin..." Alice knew exactly what I was doing. I gave her a sheepish smile. With a stretch of my arm, I was able to knock the kitten into the chute. Perfect!

"Allright!~" I cheered. My victory was short-lived however, because I turned to see an irritated-looking arcade clerk giving me a death glare.

We both kinda stared at each other for a minute or so. He looked at me, unamused, then looked at his phone. He then returned to me. Shaggy black hair covered his head, and he wore a green apron over a coal-colored shirt. My face flushed in embarrassment. Where did he come from!?

"Uhh..." I blurted out before he shook his head.

"I better not see you two fooling around with these machines again." With that, he flipped open his phone again and walked away. I quickly grabbed the stuffed kitten and stood up. I had to walk out that one, let me tell you.

"Grabbing the prize like that isn't the proper way, Karin."

"I know, I know! But c'mon. It was so close to the edge, and only fell because of some freak accident. We're just getting revenge on that flawed machine, is all! You can fight the fair fight some other time." I smiled and handed the plush to her. She took it hesitantly, but smiled softly after a moment. See! I told you!

"I guess we can't show our faces around here for a while, though. That guy looked really scary. If he's so anti-fun, why the heck is he working at a place like this?" I shrugged. We stopped to see him standing at the front counter. He stared at his phone worriedly before closing it. It was only ten seconds later that he opened it again, frantically tapping buttons. He then closed it, scratching his head. What was up with this guy?

I yanked Alice out of there before being seen. "Well, that was weird."

* * *

"How dare you two come home without another Ranger!"

"This is _my_ apartment!" I cried in protest. "Besides, it's not like they're easy to spot out! How would we know where they are, anyway! More importantly, stop acting like it's so easy!"

Melissa grinned devilishly. What a troll.

"Actually, I have great news. The radar that I've been working on to detect inhuman phenomena is nearly complete! I should have it finished tomorrow. First though, Alice. Let me see the Yellow Gem, I'm going to embed it into this bracelet that I designed. It also functions as a communicator so I can alert you two about potential dangers even when you're not here!"

I stared at her. "That's a great idea. I still can't say I'm too eager to jump out and fight more monsters, though."

"I'm afraid it's necessary, dear. These increased attacks lately aren't just a koinkydink. There's something going on behind the scenes and we need to be prepared."

I gave her a disapproving look. "There's no way you can know that."

She smirked. "I've heard the stories."

* * *

It was well after evening when everything settled down. I was sitting on the couch, absorbed in a game on my cell phone, Melissa was working quietly at my plasma-desk, and Alice was busy fooling around in the kitchen. She wanted to know about cooking or something. I couldn't be sure. All I knew is that there was an indefinable smell coming from that general direction.

"Whoa!" Melissa cried out in shock suddenly, causing my cell to fumble right out of my hands.

"Wh-what!?" I cried in response, completely unsure what to expect.

"Well, I've just finished my machine... and it's already picking up a strange signal."

I peeked over her shoulder. Though I had no idea what the numbers or symbols meant, there was a reddish-orange dot fading in and out. It was the most noticeable thing on the screen, and must have caused her surprise.

"What could it mean?" I asked her. She pondered a bit, rubbing her chin and raising an eyebrow.

"I have no idea." she shrugged. "But it looks like you two will be going on a field trip! Find out what's going down~"

Alice snapped on her newly-designed silver bracelet, and gave me a look of determination. It was time for us to roll out.

* * *

We were able to track the now-moving signal using Melissa's directions via the communicator. Strangely enough, we found ourselves in the same area as earlier, Barkins Street, just a ways away from the arcade. Melissa's instructions led us through some closed-in streets and vendor alleyways until it finally led us near a secluded building behind a shopping mall. This was another one of those older parts of town that had yet to be remodeled. There were signs hanging around warning people to keep out, as this place was next on the list. What could be hiding here?

Unable to think anymore, I grabbed Alice's arm and pulled her behind a nearby dumpster, out of sight. I did this because we weren't alone back here. Peeking around the side of the giant metal disposal machine, we saw a shaggy-haired, green apron-wearing young man continue forward. Now, what could a guy like him be doing here?

"Weird. The signal keeps fading in and out at irregular patterns. Do you two see anything?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "There's a guy here, heading towards an abandoned building behind the Barkins shopping mall. He doesn't seem to be doing anything suspicious, just... opening and closing his cell phone. A lot."

"He was doing this earlier," Alice pointed out. "It seems far-fetched, but he opens and uses his cell phone in irregular, frantic patterns. It may have something to do with this strange signal."

"Either that or Melissa's machine is just defective."

"I heard that-!"

I didn't let her continue. Instead, I tugged at Alice again and we snuck quietly behind him as he entered the building. Clearly, he had no respect for authority, because he tossed the signs over to the side and opened the door with ease. Alice and I crept in behind him, quiet so as to avoid being heard. To my dismay, the building was pitch black on the inside, and I couldn't see.

"So you've come after all..." a seductive voice purred.

Then, the doors slammed shut behind us.

...

My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. We had just walked into a trap.

* * *

Another splice in half to avoid a hyper-long chapter. Actually, I'm really excited to introduce some new characters, especially since they're so full of personality. Also I realize that Alice and Karin are... **COUGH COUGH** seriously don't get the wrong idea! It's just female bonding ;A; Y-you'll see...

This story is definitely going to continue being a lengthy read, and with minimal deviations, I'm pretty much going to get straight to the point, as cheesy as it is. I'll put all that emoshunal stuff right in the middle of this plot sandwich. Wow this sentence is really run-on and wrong whaaaaaAAAA


	8. Episode 8: Revelation

Episode 8

Revelation

An Android. A tactical man-made battle machine. Built to cover all weaknesses that so plagued the human race. The idealized perfect being, the artificial intelligence that set it apart from all living creatures. Equipped with technology that had a whole slew of different purposes.

This time, I was able to get a demonstration of one of Alice's key features- her perfect, untainted vision. Even in the pitch-black that surrounded us, she had immediately pulled me to safety before all hell broke loose. The lights came to life, a powerful _snap_ indicated their awakening. Artificial light flooded every crevice of the supposed warehouse, and I didn't need to see anything to determine that there were a bunch of very shady people on the other side of the plasma-crates.

The arcade clerk that we had been tailing stood to our right, but was just up far enough to where we were obscured from view. The corner that Alice had so swiftly pulled me into was tucked in by a stack of large crates, near the corner that lied to the right of the large door. I was extremely tempted to crane my neck to the side to see what was there, but Alice held me firmly. If I gave away our location, well...

Then, someone spoke. A female voice.

"Why, hello there Raz. I'm so delighted that you came. You can relax- as long as you carry out your end of the bargain, you won't be here long. Tell me, did you bring it?"

So, Raz was his name. Before, I was too embarrassed to really check out anything other than his deadly glare.

"I did. But you're going to have to answer a few questions first. Why do you keep sending me e-mails? Just how much do you know about me? And... why do you keep asking me about what I want? It isn't any of your business."

The female voice chuckled. It was deep and smooth, like a dominant cougar about to pounce on her prey. Ignore the obvious joke and bad comparison.

"Ah yes. Raz Shiva. Works at the Arcade on Barkins street. Aged 23, blood type O. Leo. 5'10". Currently lives together with his younger sister. Oh... I know everything. How you've always wondered what your purpose in life is, why you work so hard and make so little, and why... your mother had to die so prematurely, right after your dad walked out of your life."

Raz released a low growl.

"Heh. Then it's established. It was quite easy for me to gather all of that information. Imagine what else I could do if you, say... tried anything funny with me? I simply _had_ to demonstrate my prowess, you know~"

Listening to her made me sick. I tried not to gag. Raz apparently felt the same way.

"Yeah, yeah, enough of that." A noise of clothes shuffling was heard. "I've brought this thing that you wanted. So hand over my sister, and I'll be out of here."

A confident "hmph" was then heard. "All right... bring her out."

We heard a few footsteps, and then a few more. A few seconds later, a much younger voice called out.

"Big bro!"

"It seems we have a few more to add to the party. Why don't you fetch them, too?"

Huh? Who else could possibly be here-

And then Alice and I were the ones being fetched.

I nearly died of a heart attack when someone came and smashed the entire stack of plasma-crates that had sheltered us. They all were roughly smacked away, leaving us horribly exposed to the eyes of everyone else present. Not only was there a woman clad in black leather, but also a few other males as well. Raz glanced our way, but ultimately showed no concern. Okay, well we kinda asked for it, snooping in his business, but still!

What I noticed right away, however, is that the one who smashed away all of those crates looked like an average male. That in itself, was terribly wrong. No human could possibly be that strong. I would have entertained the idea of him being an android, but the odd colors of his eyes and unnatural pupil shape led me to believe otherwise.

Alice and I were roughly held on to and I pulled with all of my might to escape. No matter how much I pulled, the grip only got tighter to the point of painful. Alice gave me a comforting gaze. "There is no need to panic, Karin. Our odds of escape are inevitable in success."

One of the guys holding us snickered a little, obviously amused. They may certainly not have been human, but I was betting everything on Alice. And this time, my life was probably on the table too.

"Now, let's begin the exchange. Your trinket for your beloved sister and little friends here."

He shrugged. "Look, just give me my sister, I could care less about these two buffoons." With that, he tossed a silver chain at the woman, which she caught easily. She looked at the chain up close, examining it.

"Hey, what's the hell's your problem, you creep!?" I cried out. How could he say that to us? Maybe we were strangers and maybe we had been snooping, but our intentions were good! I never expected that someone so normal could have less than coal for a heart. "Once I pull free I'm gonna beat your dumb ugly skull in! How can you just leave us like this!?"

"St-stop it! Please...!" Raz's sister spoke up for the first time in awhile. The corners of her eyes were wet with tears.

"Don't misunderstand my big bro! He's not what you're thinking-"

"That's enough. Just give me my sister and we'll be gone. Stop keeping me waiting."

"Ah yes, indeed." The woman motioned for the dark-haired youngster to be released. As soon as she was free, she ran into her brother's waiting arms. It was weird to see such a heartless guy look happy about something. It made me sick.

The last straw hit me when he turned to leave.

"Alice, we are going to cause some havoc RIGHT NOW!" She had no objections. She twisted around her body parts so that she was facing her captor with everything but her torso. Using all of her strength, she shoved the male backwards and he flew several feet, hitting the floor hard.

She then lifted up her leg to elegantly give my captor a kick right in his side. He wouldn't be able to fight her without his hands free, and I felt his vice grip loosen ever so slightly. I used this chance and tore myself free from him, just in time for Alice to send him to the moon.

Alice went ahead and surrounded herself in that familiar golden light, becoming the well-renown yellow Ranger. She was now taking out these psychos left and right with no difficulty. The woman, the apparent leader of this freak troupe looked around and began heading towards the back of the building.

"Alice, that woman!" I called not a second too soon. Alice zoomed over to her and hit her with a hard body slam, causing a silver glint to catch the light and fly away from her. I quickly recovered it.

"Disguise off!" she cried, infuriated. All of the previously human-like males had now transmogrified into horrible monsters. They were all various shapes and sizes with unique features. However, I was in the middle of mass mayhem, so I didn't have time to check them all out. This time, another voice hit the backside of my left ear.

Amelia was being cornered by one of the monsters, with no room for escape. I would never make it in time. Raz, who was rushing to her side, was being tailed by a few others as well. As a normal human, he wouldn't stand a chance. But...

"Raz!" I cried out.

I gripped the green memento tightly. I didn't need to look at it. Our chance to come out of this unscathed was now or never.

Tossing the green pendant with all my might, it was able to reach him. He held out his palm and caught it while still tearing full speed towards his sister. In the next millisecond, she was moved out of harm's way by a green blur.

I could also be thankful that a few of the monsters' bodies had begun to dissolve too, since Alice was finally able to pick off their numbers with enough force.

The Yellow and Green Rangers fought alongside each other, coordinating so well that it seemed to come second nature. Like they had known the other for years. Raz seemed a little rusty, but the suit did make up well enough for his lack of ability. In no time at all, the monsters had all been defeated.

"You'll all pay for this...! Not a soul in your families will be spared! I'll get my revenge!" The definitely not-so-human cougar- er, lady, took a blade and swiped at the air, creating some kind of purple wormhole. She dove in, and it closed itself.

Raz and Alice de-morphed, the former looked like he wanted to strangle me. He approached me, snarling, and gripped the collar of my shirt to pull me up to his level. I tried pulling back a little, which wasn't working and I only felt pathetic.

"You just made a horrible, horrible mistake. Do you realize what you've done to me!? To us!? You've just put us in a lot of trouble, all because you-"

"ME!?" I cried. "It's your fault for saying that you didn't care about us! If you seemed like you gave two shits then I wouldn't have gotten angry! Then we would have been released and would have all left and gone our separate ways!"

"It's YOUR stupid emotions that got you in trouble! More importantly, why were you following me in the first place!? DON'T stick your nose in where it DOESN'T BELONG!"

"Big bro...! Please... please don't fight..." Amelia tugged at his arm, which had slowly been raising itself up, like he was winding up for a punch.

Heh, I wouldn't doubt it. He would probably hit a girl without feeling a thing.

He released my collar roughly, causing me to stumble backwards. I inhaled, feeling short of breath. I must have been holding it with anticipation.

He stepped back a few times, eyes locked and full of hatred.

"Burn in hell."

He turned around, grabbed Amelia's hand, and headed out the door. Amelia turned back to look at us with large, innocent eyes. When they locked with mine, I immediately knew that she had a lot to tell me.

Alice looked at me. "Karin... are you all right?"

"I'm fine... heh. But I _am_ starving."

I looked at her, getting serious now. "Alice. Things didn't really go as planned. But you are aware, just as much as I am, about what would have happened if she had gotten away."

Alice nodded slowly. "It would have been far worse."

There was no doubt about it, I had royally screwed a lot of things over in such a short amount of time. But imagining what kinds of powers the opposing force would have obtained if they succeeded, well...

Then things would have been _really_ bad.

* * *

Notes:

An intense chapter! I felt pretty intense when I was writing it, though maybe that's just because I haven't eaten yet.

Emotions can really hinder your performance if you let them, and Karin demonstrated that for us today. Maybe Raz is a difficult guy, but you don't exactly want to destroy a relationship that's vital to the survival of your own world.

Ah, then again, humans are imperfect... what would Alice have done?

Lol those arguments weren't even valid karin plz what u doing

Will these two eventually patch things up!? Maybe after a long journey, but I really can't say...

Thanks for reading!


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